Puppy Survival Thread - March - April

[PugInTheHouse]

Just starting a new thread before we run out on www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4141698-Puppy-Survival-Thread-January-February

Welcome to everyone trying to survive the puppy days!

Thanks @PugInTheHouse.
I meant to say-had a lovely walk the other day-we drove to somewhere different and had her on the extendable lead and she had a great time with no stress about recall or pulling.
Then we got home and she chewed through the lead in 5 seconds in the garden! I’m so pleased she didn’t do it while we were out but just seems like 1 step forward 2 steps back!

Well like a lot of us, pup has barely been left on his own since we got him in December. However, very conscious that next week is the start of the school runs again and pup will have to be left at least once depending on my DH shifts. So this week I've tried popping him in his crate around those times with his treat ball/kong etc but as soon as he hears the door go he stops eating it and just barks! We come back in then he starts eating it again! Oh dear!

@Petalpup it definitely feels that way doesn't it. I feel like pugpup cracks one thing we've been struggling with then does something else like wee on the floor just to remind us not to take our eyes off the ball

@EmzBPupMum same here, I have set myself a target of after the easter hols to be absolutely sorted with leaving him. I keep saying I need to sort it but have been too intermittent with it.

@PugInTheHouse thanks for starting a new thread!!

Hi all! Apologies for my moaning...it’s such a lovely thread I shouldn’t bring you all down. I’ll get over it

@PugInTheHouse it's so hard isn't it. I'm wfh and my computer is in the main living room, I have no reason to leave him. I'm just conscious as well as lockdown eases I'm going to want to be able to go places with my daughter and not worry about pup being at home!

@EmzBPupMum yes definitely. I end up thinking ill go and sit upstairs a few times each day but get engrossed in my work and forget.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat moan away, we have all done it I'm sure we all have many more moans ahead also!!

😫 Just had an 'incident' in the park. Dpup was off lead (his recall's not great, but we were with a dog friend that he follows around, well, like a puppy) and he suddenly ran off to see a dog in the middle of the field. I had seen it, but thought it was a squirrel... 😳 Dpup has NEVER gone up to another dog, he's usually terrified! So he goes up, the other dog wants to play and DPup runs away yelping and making a noise I've never heard before! I shout an apology, and the other lady shouts back, "It's ok, he's REALLY well socialised" #smugface

HOW?! I just don't get how to do this?! He's better meeting dogs off the lead so he doesn't feel trapped. But if he's off the lead I have absolutely no control?

Anyone cracked this? What's the best way to introduce dogs? I seem to have a very nervous dog, who is suddenly getting brave?! Or maybe not after this experience....

@Doje how old is he? I have no idea what official advice is (and please don't take this the wrong way) but should he be completely off lead if his recall isn't great? Can you use the long line instead? They can still meet and play with other dogs with the long line on as pugpup plays with another dog who is also on a long line (the other dog is 9 months but has poor recall). It works really well.

@Doje its really great he is getting braver though.

@Puginthehouse thanks for starting the new thread. 👍

To be honest, he was on the long line, but I was letting it trail so didn't have my hand on the other end. I saw the other dog too late, but to be honest I was so confident he wouldn't go near him that I don't even think I would have picked it up anyway! I suppose you live and learn, and next time I'll keep hold of him. Is that what others do? Doesn't it all get horribly tangled?! You're probably right that he just shouldn't be off lead, but he loves it so much!

He's 17 weeks. His recall is fine until there's something better to do. I normally see any 'better things to do' well before him!!

@Doje It just sounds as if he's getting braver so you will know next time. The trainer I work with gets pugpup back to her side when she sees another person or dog (generally before pup sees them) so then has his focus on her before she decides whether its OK for him to say hi to the dog/person or not. So recall as soon as you see another dog if that makes sense.

17 weeks is so little, hes doing great to have a decent recall, its the story of our lives with pugpup, amazing at everything until there is a distraction, although on the long lead he has actually come back to us even if he's seen a person or a dog if we've called but I definitely don't trust him yet

When we were with the other dog the leads didn't get too tangled, they are the flat material ones so really easy to untangle anyway. It seemed to work OK and we never let go of them. If I'm honest it never crossed my mind to let go as I assumed the point was to hold it so they feel like they are running free but you have hold of them. I may have completely missed the point of them though

I have a 5 year old dog and a 14 week old puppy so been on both ends of this scenario plenty of times. My pup yapped at another dog yesterday and then ran away. I just think it's all part of the experience they need to gather and not to worry about

Hi all can I join? Pup was 10 weeks yesterday... So much to learn... it’s been a steep learning curve

@Doje we've been letting Sparklepup off the lead for a while and his recall has also gone downhill as he gets braver. We find it's worse if we go somewhere he's familiar with. We may have to go back to the long lead. With him he will just occasionally decide he wants to say hello to someone and jump up. It's not everyone, it's random so it takes us by surprise and by the time we've realised it's too late. Very embarrassing and one of my pet peeves is people (like me) who have their dog off lead when they can't control them

@Doje we let Londonpup off on the long line mostly. Today he decided he had to play with a dachshund but we were happy to allow it - he played a bit and when we wanted to go he followed us when we called. The thing we’re not quite there yet is the recall once he’s decided he has to go and play.

hi @WaitingForEgg im a newbie too
Today DH took starpup to his mums (support bubble shes on her own) decided to take pup for a wee in the garden where despite being on the lead he managed to find the one singular cat turd in the whole garden and swallow it faster than usain bolt breaking a world record. Starpup seems none the worse for his snack and is currently rolling the cat bed around the living room.

Cat poo is the food of the Gods as far as Frenchpup is concerned!

We live very rurally and never see any other dogs (except behind fences) on our walks. I'm quite jealous of you all seeing other dogs around and about.

Cat poo. 🤢 That seems even worse that dog poo, but I don't know why?!
Dpup has many a bad habit, but thankfully eating poo doesn't seem to be one of them. Yet. 🙄

A bit of fun

What was the one thing you vowed you wouldn’t let your puppy do that they now do?

Mine was that he wouldn’t be allowed onto our expensive velvet sofa (imagine cleaning wee off that!)...today I went out and bought a throw to match it so that he could sit on it

@C4itl I also thought I'd be keeping the dog off the sofa. That lasted about a month, now I'm chuffed when she chooses to come up to snuggle into me! She was lying on me with her stinky soft toy on my face the other day. I could never have imagined that.

Actually apart from that we've stuck to our guns pretty well! She's not allowed upstairs. We have a stairgate but can leave it open now and she'll just stand at the bottom of the stairs waiting. Clever girl.

@ashmts he’s only just managed to get up on the sofa, or else I’m guessing it would’ve happened a lot sooner! I’ve just had to buy a baby gate for the bottom of the stairs, so I’m hoping it works like yours and eventually he’ll just sit at the bottom without it

starpup sussed the sofa in two days worked out he could put front paws on yhd seat and get a back paw between the cushion and the frame to lift himself

I vowed that Frenchpup would be great on a lead, our old ddog was terrible so I was determined to train it from day 1. Shes nearly 6 months old and still pulling like a train.